Retrieval
by Lightning-Dono
Summary: Noa remembers everything that happened - his death, his father's rejection, and the bond of siblings.


**Lightning-Dono**: One-shot. I'm having Writers Block so I decided that I -needed- to excersize my skills.

This is something I thought up that could've fit into Noa's Ark in the series before the end.

-----

_"It won't hurt much..." _

The voice echoed, even as I sat there in a virtual 'utopia'. It was far from perfect, but I learned how to make it so that some things happened accordingly instead of repeating over and over.

_"You have to make it, Noa!"_ a voice resonated through my mind. It was rough and weak, yet demanding. My father.

_"I'm sorry, he's gone..."_ replied the first voice, sounding as though he were fading away while it was I who actually faded.

If only I hadn't been so stupid to run out into the road just to retrieve a frisbee. Why did I have to do it then? I still remembered my father running after me, shouting something. But the roar of the engine was too loud, I couldn't hear him clearly. The truck driver had honked loudly, causing me to flinch as I reached down for the bright red disk that I had played with just moments before.

"NOA!" Came the cry of distress as the large vehicle attempted to veer out of the way, only to hit me. Horrible injured with no hope for survival, I was rushed to the hospital where they operated the best they could on me. I could feel my breath becoming shallow and see a dizzied version of the world through my light eyes.

_"Father?"_ I had asked weakly, reaching out to touch his face.

_"Save your strength, son!"_ Instead of allowing me to hold him one last time, he shoved my arm back down. In the period of a few minutes my vision blurred and that was the end of that.

That was when I was programmed into a computer. An imperfect virtual world where my only company where a bunch of messed up people and a cute little dog that wouldn't stop barking. After a couple of years living in that virtual labyrinth with nothing to do, I ventured as far as to propose an idea to my father.

But he rejected it, and along with it, rejected me. I still remember clutching my half-robotic dog around the waist with my small hands and telling him everything I had thought up. But the thought of him ever accepting my intelligence and choosing me over the little losers that he had soon after adopted was just another illusion.

I watched for days through a clear screen, waiting for him to come back and 'visit' me. All I saw were glimpses of him pushing those adopted children to the limit, as he had done me. I had felt a small jolt of satisfaction as I watched them walk by my door, limping with exhaustion.

But even those joys only lasted a mere second or so.

Now there is a more recent memory that it making me break down. It happened not too long ago, and I knew I'd never forget it.

I had turned the Kaiba brothers into massive statues of despair and soon after Yami no Yuugi himself challenged me to a very tough duel, despite the hefty costs.

It was just in the middle of the duel when I became angered and turned his friends, one by one, into stone to be preserved forever in my lonely world. Then, I came to a brother and sister. Their names were Jounouchi Katsuya and Kawai Shizuka, embracing each other like the end of the world was coming. I hesitated for a few seconds to reconsider my choice. They looked so helpless, clutching onto one another. But my hatred and jealousy prevailed. And as the beam of stoning came down upon them, the brother tried to protect his sister, who then pushed him away and took the beam herself. It was such a self-less sacrifice that I almost started to tear. But I didn't break, for crying was weakness and only the strong survive.

Even now, as I review these thoughts in my mind, everything seemed so horrible. I was attacking defenseless people who had nothing to do with my duel and just thinking about it made me flush a brilliant shade of red and watch the shines on my shoes.

Now, all I have is a screen and virtual world that my father was haunting. But I wasn't bothered _or_ sad.

All I do now is wonder why I had sacrificed my life just to retrieve a bright red frisbee for my father.


End file.
